1. Parents' Reports of the School Readiness of Young Children

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has released a new report entitled Parents' Reports of the School Readiness of Young Children from the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2007, which presents initial findings on the school readiness of young children, as reported by their parents, from the School Readiness Survey of the 2007 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES). It also provides basic demographic information about children ages 3 to 6 who have not yet entered kindergarten, their parents'/guardians' characteristics, and the characteristics of the households in which they live. It is available online at
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008051

Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities: Statistics and Interventions (2008) - provides an overview of the prevalence and characteristics of child abuse-related fatalities and discusses the role of the community in preventing and responding to child deaths -
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/fatality.cfm

4. Higher Education Opportunity Act Signed into Law

On August 14, 2008, the President signed into law H.R. 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which reauthorizes and revises programs under the Higher Education Act. H.R. 4137 includes provisions that offer loan forgiveness and degree incentives for early childhood professionals and grants to states to create professional development systems for early childhood educators. It also contains provisions that address issues such as special education teacher shortages, better preparing general educators to meet the unique learning needs of students with disabilities, and improved access to institutes of higher learning for students with disabilities. For more information go to
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:H.R.4137:.

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

eNotes is compiled and distributed by the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA Center), pursuant to cooperative agreement H326P120002 with the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education (ED). Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express their judgment in professional and technical matters. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Education's position or policy.